The present invention relates to antiperspirant formulations and in particular to anhydrous soft solid formulations.
Humans perspire over much of the body, but there are some areas where perspiration is more intense or noticeable after a period of time, such as in the underarm, possibly on account of molecular transformations of excretions from the apocrine, endocrine or sebaceous glands. Antiperspirant formulations are commonly accepted in many societies as a means to obviate or prevent wet patches on human skin or on clothing in contact with the skin. Their application can also reduce body odour generation. The underarm (axilla) is one area where antiperspirant formulations are normally applied.
Antiperspirant formulations are available for application via several different types of dispenser. These include non-contact dispensers such as aerosols or squeeze spray dispensers or contact dispensers such a roll-on or cream or firm stick dispenser. The formulations dispensed include both hydrous or anhydrous compositions. One class of formulation which is favoured by various consumers in some parts of the world comprises anhydrous creams, sometimes called soft solids, in which a particulate antiperspirant active material, commonly an aluminum or aluminum/zirconium astringent salt or complex, is suspended in a water-immiscible carrier fluid which is structured by incorporation of sufficient structurant to enable the formulation to be dispensed under mild pressure through one or more apertures in the dispensing head of a container and remain in place on the dispensing head until applied to the skin, eg to the axilla.
Anhydrous creams can incorporate a range of antiperspirant active salts, but it is often considered advantageous to employ salts containing both aluminum and zirconium, on account of their measured effectiveness at controlling perspiration when topically applied to human skin. Such creams conveniently employ a wax or mixture of waxes to impart structure to the carrier fluid, in part at least because such structurants are readily available and cost effective. The carrier fluid in commercially available anhydrous cream products normally comprises a volatile silicone oil such as a volatile linear or cyclomethicone, by virtue of the desirable overall combination of properties of such materials.
However, one of the problems that can be present in anhydrous creams which are applied topically to human skin is the observation of visible white deposits, not only on the skin, but also when the formulation is transferred onto clothing. Transfer can arise by direct contact or by fractions of the applied formulation being dislodged from the skin surface, for example by brushing, and falling under the influence of gravity onto clothing that is directly underneath. These white marks can be found on clothing adjacent to armpits or in the region of the hips. Such marks are significantly disliked by consumers, who find them relatively difficult to remove except by washing. Washing is usually not convenient if the mark is observed when the wearer is in public, and the common method of mark removal by rubbing with a dampened handkerchief is hindered by the hydrophobic nature of the structurant and carrier fluid.
Some manufacturers have proposed to add so called masking agents into cream formulations to reduce the visibility of the white marks, and to some extent this can be successful, especially for a period shortly after application of the formulation. However, it has now been observed that the effectiveness of masking agents can diminish with time, and this is particularly noticeable in respect of creams that contain aluminum/zirconium astringent salts and those which are structured using waxes. This can mean, for example, that a mark becomes more visible as the day progresses, if it is not removed quickly. Of course, it can be difficult to recognize immediately that a mark has occurred, when it exhibits only very low visible deposits initially. Visible deposits have been the subject of consumer complaints, not only to the brand owner, but the problem has also been raised on TV consumer programmes. Wax structurants are desirable in other ways; for example, they are readily available and formulations produced using them can have attractive sensory properties, but the problem of increased visibility of deposits during leave-on is one that remains.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to devise wax-structured cream formulations that have a reduced tendency to exhibit visible marks during leave-on over an extended period of time.
According to the present invention there is provided an anhydrous antiperspirant cream composition comprising
a) a particulate aluminum/zirconium astringent salt in an amount of from 5 to 30% by weight;
b) a wax in an amount of from 4 to 20% by weight, said wax comprising an aliphatic ester or monohydric alcohol wax; and
c) a water-immiscible carrier having a refractive index that is less than 0.1 below the refractive index of the aluminum/zirconium astringent salt and comprising an aromatic ester having a melting point of below 25xc2x0 C. and/or a non-volatile silicone oil having a refractive index of at least 1.5 in an amount of from 45 to 80% by weight.
For an anhydrous antiperspirant cream composition herein, i.e. a soft solid, the hardness H will generally be from 0.003 to 0.5 N/mm2, as measured by sphere indentation. Frequently, such hardness will be from 0.005 up to 0.1 N/mm2.
Anhydrous herein indicates in the context of a cream composition that the composition does not comprise a liquid aqueous phase.
By formulating in accordance with the summary of the invention, it is possible to prepare anhydrous antiperspirant compositions in which an aluminum zirconium astringent salt suspended in a water-immiscible carrier fluid that is solidified by a wax exhibits improved resistance to the development of visible deposits over a period of time when exposed to the atmosphere after topical application. This accordingly ameliorates problems of white deposits appearing on the body or clothing several hours after contact with an antiperspirant formulation.
In a related second aspect of the present invention there is provided a process for preparing an anhydrous antiperspirant formulation in the form of a cream comprising the steps of:
i) introducing into a mixing vessel a carrier fluid having a refractive index that is less than 0.1 below the refractive index of the aluminum/zirconium astringent salt and comprising an aromatic ester having a melting point of below 25xc2x0 C. and/or a non-volatile silicone oil having a refractive index of at least 1.5 in an amount of from 50 to 80% by weight;
ii) introducing into the vessel a wax in an amount of from 4 to 20% by weight said wax comprising an aliphatic ester or monohydric alcohol wax;
iii) heating the non-polymeric wax until it melts or is miscible with the carrier fluid;
iv) introducing into the carrier fluid or mixture of carrier fluid and wax a particulate aluminum/zirconium astringent salt in an amount of from 5 to 30% by weight at a temperature above the normal solidification temperature of the formulation and;
v) introducing the composition into a dispenser whilst the composition is fluid.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling or preventing perspiration by topically applying to the human body, and especially to the axilla a composition according to the first aspect described hereinabove.
The present invention relates to anhydrous cream formulations containing particulate antiperspirants in which the tendency for visible deposits to develop over time in wax-structured compositions is ameliorated or suppressed.
The antiperspirant active comprises suspended aluminum zirconium astringent salts.
Aluminum halohydrates employable herein are usually defined by the general formula Al2(OH)xQy.wH2O in which Q represents chlorine, bromine or iodine, x is variable from 2 to 5 and x+y=6 while wH2O represents a variable amount of hydration. Preferably, the halohydrate is a chlorohydrate.
Zirconium salts for employment herein together with the aluminum salts can usually be represented by the empirical general formula: ZrO(OH)2nxe2x88x92nzBz.wH2O in which z is a variable in the range of from 0.9 to 2.0 so that the value 2nxe2x88x92nz is zero or positive, n is the valency of B, and B is selected from the group consisting of chloride, other halide, sulphamate, sulphate and mixtures thereof. Possible hydration to a variable extent is represented by wH2O.
Preferably B represents chloride and the variable z lies in the range from 1.5 to 1.87. Zirconium aluminum chlorohydrate may be particularly preferred.
Antiperspirant complexes based on the above-mentioned astringent aluminum and/or zirconium salts can desirably be employed. The complex often employs a compound with a carboxylate group, and advantageously this is an amino acid. Examples of suitable amino acids include dl-tryptophan, dl-xcex2-phenylalanine, dl-valine, dl-methionine and xcex2-alanine, and preferably glycine which has the formula CH2(NH2)COOH, for example the complexes with glycine as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,068 (Luedders et al). Certain of those Al/Zr complexes are commonly called ZAG in the literature. ZAG actives generally contain aluminum, zirconium and chloride with an Al/Zr ratio in a range from 2 to 10, especially 2 to 6, an Al/Cl ratio from 2.1 to 0.9 and a variable amount of glycine. Actives of this preferred type are available from Westwood, from Summit and from Reheis.
The above aluminum and zirconium salts may have coordinated and/or bound water in various quantities and/or may be present as polymeric species, mixtures or complexes. Any bound or co-ordinated water therein is disregarded when determining whether or not the cream composition is anhydrous.
The particle size of the antiperspirant salts often falls within the range of 0.1 to 200 xcexcm with a mean particle size often from 3 to 20 xcexcm. Both larger and smaller mean particle sizes can also be contemplated such as from 20 to 50 xcexcm or 0.1 to 3 xcexcm. In it is also preferable to employ dense particulate materials, that is to say particulate antiperspirant salts that are not hollow. Hollow actives can be processed by milling to disintegrate the shell of the particle and thereby destroy the hollow.
The aluminum zirconium astringent salts tend to have a high refractive index. This is believed to contribute to the problem of visible deposits mentioned hereinbefore. Many of the preferred salts herein have a refractive index (at 25xc2x0 C.) of 1.56xc2x10.01. The instant inventors have found that it is desirable to control the difference in refractive index of the antiperspirant salt and the carrier fluid. Where the refractive index difference is too great, the resultant formulation can suffer from a tendency for visible deposits either to be too high from the outset, eg as demonstrated by a measurement on a product after 1 hour, and/or for the level of visible deposits to increase noticeably during leave-on over an extended period, eg as demonstrated by a measurement after 24 hours. According to the instant invention, the carrier fluid is chosen such that the difference in refractive index of the fluid and antiperspirant salt is less than 0.1.
In addition, the instant inventors have determined that the main or sole constituent of the carrier fluid should be selected from one of two classes of compounds, both of which are fluid under standard pressure at 25xc2x0 C., the first class of which comprises aromatic esters and the second class of which comprises non-volatile silicone oils that have a refractive index of greater than 1.5. Within the first class, it is particularly desirable to select benzoate, naphthylate or salicylate esters. The esters desirably comprise the residue of one or more fatty alcohols, such as those containing from 10 to 22 carbons. A suitable example of such alcohol residues comprise alkyl mixtures containing from 12 to 15 carbons.
Amongst the class of benzoate esters, it is desirable to mention alkyl benzoate, alkylene dibenzoate, alkoxylated alkyl benzoate or a polyalkylene oxide dibenzoate, or a mixture of two or more sub-classes thereof. The alkyl group often contains at least 10 carbons, in many instances up to 25 carbons. It is often linear, but can alternatively be branched.
Especially desirable alkyl groups are found in the range of from 12 to 20 carbons and include dodecyl (lauryl) terdecyl, tetradecyl (myristyl), pentadecy, hexadecyl (palmityl), octadecyl (stearyl) 2-methyl-heptadecyl (iso-stearyl) and octyldodecyl groups. A mixture of two or more of the alkyl groups can be employed, such as a mixture of C12-C15 alkyl groups. The term alkylated herein includes alkylene groups and the latter are terminated at each end with a benzoate group. The alkylene group often contains from 2 to 6 carbons and can be linear or branched, a suitable example of linear being propylene.
In the alkoxylated alkyl benzoates contemplated herein, the alkyl group is terminated by an alkoxy group, which can be monomeric containing for example up to 6 carbons or polymeric such as polyethylene oxide or preferably polypropylene oxide, which conveniently comprises up to 30 units and often from 5 to 20 units. In such compounds, the alkyl group can be selected from the previously identified alkyl groups. Alternatively, the benzoate compound can comprise a polyethylene oxide or polypropylene oxide moiety, or preferably a block copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, terminated at each end by a benzoate group. Mixtures of two or more of the benzoate sub-classes of compounds can be employed. Several preferred benzoate compounds are available from Finetex under their trade name Finsolv.
Suitable naphthylate and salicylate esters comprise alkylated naphthylate or salicylate, alkylated being as described above for benzoate esters.
Within the second class of carrier fluid, the silicone oils preferably comprise alkylaryl substituted polysiloxanes such as alkylphenyl substituted polysiloxanes, and especially methylphenyl polysiloxanes. Desirably, the polysiloxane is short chain and linear, such as a disiloxane, trisiloxane or tetrasiloxane. Particularly desirably, the mole ratio of alkyl (especially methyl) to phenyl substitution is 1:1. It is especially desirable to select within the class of non-volatile polysiloxane materials those which have a viscosity of below 300 centistokes and advantageously those of below 200 centistokes. In practice, the viscosity of preferred siloxane materials is often in the region of 50 centistokes or higher. The refractive index of preferred non-volatile silicone oils, such as those comprising alkylphenylsiloxanes normally is up to 1.56. Examples of highly preferred non-volatile siloxanes include PDM-7040 and PDM-7050 (trade names) obtainable from Gelest and DC 704 (trade name) obtainable from Dow Corning Inc.
In addition to the aforementioned classes of carrier fluid, it is possible to contemplate incorporating a minor fraction of a compatible co-carrier fluid. The proportion of any such co-carrier fluid is selected in conjunction with the carrier or mixture of carriers so as to enable the resultant mixture to have a refractive index of less than 0.1 below that of the antiperspirant salt. The RI of the mixture can be calculated by determining the weighted average of individual constituents of the mixture
RImix=xcexa3(RIn.wn)/xcexa3(wn)
where RIn is the refractive index of a constituent n and RImix that of the mixture, and wn is the weight of that constituent.
Amongst the co-carriers that can be contemplated, readily available co-carriers comprise volatile silicones, volatile hydrocarbon oils and non-volatile hydrocarbon oils. Volatile silicones are those silicone oils that have a measurable vapour pressure at 20 or 25xc2x0 C. Typically the vapour pressure of a volatile silicone lies in a range from 1 or 10 Pa to 2 kPa at 25xc2x0 C. The volatile silicones commonly comprise either dimethicones or cyclomethicones containing from 4, 5 or 6 silicone units, having a molecular weight in the range of 220 to 380.
Many suitable volatile hydrocarbon oils comprise branched chain isoparaffins of intermediate chain length, conveniently from 6 to 25 carbons, such as Isopar(trademark) C, E, G H or L. Other examples of such hydrocarbons include Permethyl(trademark) 99A, 101A and 102A. Linear hydrocarbon oils include octane, decane and dodecane. Non-volatile hydrocarbon oils often contain from 20 to 40 carbons on average and include mineral oil and hydrogenated polydecene, for example those sold under the trademark SilkFlo(trademark) 364.
Preferably, the proportion of such co-carrier(s) in the formulation comprises not more than 15% in total. It is particularly suitable to incorporate the co-carrier(s) in a ratio to the carrier(s) of not more than 1:3 and especially not more than 1:4. By restricting the proportion of co-carrier in the formulation, it is possible to avoid formulations having a milky appearance on topical application if too much volatile silicone is present and of impairing the sensory properties of the formulation if too much non-volatile hydrocarbon is employed.
The invention compositors employ from 4 to 20% by weight of wax, and in many embodiments from 5 to 15% by weight. In some preferred compositions, the wax content is from 8 to 12% by weight.
Incorporation of a wax or mixture of waxes structures the carrier fluids and when present any co-carrier fluids. Herein, the term xe2x80x9cwaxxe2x80x9d is as conventionally applied to a variety of materials and mixtures that have similar physical properties, namely that:
they are solid at 30xc2x0 C. and preferably also at 40xc2x0 C.; they melt to a mobile liquid at a temperature above 30xc2x0 C. but generally below 95xc2x0 C. and preferably in a temperature range of 40xc2x0 C. to 90xc2x0 C.;
they are water-insoluble and remain water-immiscible when heated above their melting point; they form crystals in the water-immiscible liquid when it cools from the heated state during processing.
The present invention employs one or more waxes comprising aliphatic monohydric alcohols, otherwise often called fatty alcohols, and preferably aliphatic esters containing the residue of a fatty acid or fatty alcohol or a mixture of such compounds. Such waxes may be synthetic or naturally occurring, or obtainable by processing of naturally occurring products, such as by hydrogenating unsaturated oils. Naturally occurring waxes or waxes derived from naturally occurring oils are often mixtures of compounds which include a substantial proportion, likely to be a majority, of fatty esters.
Examples of ester waxes include esters in the range of C16 to C40 fatty acids with glycerol or ethylene glycol and these may be made synthetically. The esters include for example glyceryl di or tri-esters and glycol diesters. Commonly, the ester component of glycol or glyceryl waxes are derived from selected narrower ranges of fatty acids, such as from C16 to C22 or C24, predominantly C18, or C20 to C36 or C40. Alternatively the product can comprise glyceryl or glycol esters derived from natural products, such as hydrogenated castor oil, often referred to as castor wax. The ester waxes or significant individual components of ester wax mixtures include glyceryl palmitate, glyceryl stearate, glyceryl behenate, glycol stearate and glycol behenate. A number of suitable ester waxes are sold by Croda under their trade mark Syncrowax, such as grades BB-4, HGL-C, ERL-C, HR-C, and HRS-C or by Koster Keunen under their mark Kesterwax, sometimes abbreviated to K, as in K62, K69, K72, K82 and K85.
Examples of natural waxes include beeswax, spermaceti, baysberry, carnauba and candelilla waxes that are of vegetable origin and mineral waxes from fossil remains other than petroleum. Montan wax, which is an example of mineral wax, includes non-glyceride esters of carboxylic acids, hydrocarbons and other constituents.
The ester waxes or natural waxes containing ester compounds can constitute all of the wax, if desired, and preferably constitutes at least 70% and especially at least 80% by weight of the total weight of waxes.
The other waxes contemplated herein as an alternative to or together with the fatty esters are linear aliphatic fatty alcohols, such as those containing from 16 to 24 carbon atoms, such as cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol and behenyl alcohol. However, such materials tend to create visible deposits to a greater degree than do the ester waxes, so that it is preferable to employ either no linear fatty alcohols, or substantially none, by which is meant not more than 1% and preferably less than 0.5% of the composition. Expressed differently, linear fatty alcohols more preferably constitute no more than 5% of the total weight of the composition.
In addition to the foregoing classes of waxes, and particularly the ester waxes, other waxes can be contemplated. Such supplementary waxes can be chosen from hydrocarbon waxes, and silicone waxes. The supplementary waxes often contribute from 0 to 7% of the wax blend.
Examples of hydrocarbon waxes include paraffin wax, Fischer-Tropsch waxes and microcrystalline wax.
Examples of silicone waxes employable herein commonly comprise silicone polymer waxes, such as those which satisfy the empirical formula:
Rxe2x80x94(SiMe2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94)xxe2x80x94SiMe2R
in which x is at least 10, preferably 10 to 50 and R represents an alkyl group containing at least 20 carbons, preferably 25 to 40 carbons, and particularly having an average linear chain length of at least 30 carbons.
Other suitable silicone waxes comprise copolymers of dimethicone and alkyloxymethicone, satisfying the general formula:
Yxe2x80x94(SiMe2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94)y(Si[ORxe2x80x2]Mexe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94)zxe2x80x94Yxe2x80x2
in which Y represents SiMe2xe2x80x94O, Yxe2x80x2 SiMe2, Rxe2x80x2 an alkyl of at least 15 carbons preferably 18 to 22 such as stearyl, y and z are both integers, totaling preferably from 10 to 50.
Waxes useful in the present invention will generally be those found to thicken water-immiscible oils such as cyclomethicones when dissolved therein (by heating and cooling) at a concentration of 5 to 15% by weight.
Although single waxes may be employed herein, it is often preferable to employ a combination of waxes, differing for example by their chemical constitution and/or their melting point. Thus, one suitable combination comprises a mixture of a higher melting point wax, i.e. one having a melting point of at least 75xc2x0 C., often not higher than 85xc2x0 C., with a lower melting point wax, i.e. one which melts at a lower temperature of below 75xc2x0 C., though many examples melt at above 60xc2x0 C. The weight ratio of higher to lower melting point wax is often chosen in the range of from 2:1 to 4:1. One suitable example of a mixture of different waxes comprises castor wax with a glycol or glycerol ester, for example that sold under the trade mark/grade Syncrowax ERL-C.
In practice, the proportion of wax in the mixture is often selected in the range of from 6% to 15%, and in many embodiments from 7.5% to 12.5%. The weight ratio of carrier fluid and any co-carrier fluid to wax is in many formulations selected in the range of from 4:1 to 10:1 and particularly from 5:1 to 8:1.
If desired, the wax can be supplemented by incorporating a particulate thickening agent, such a particulate silica or clay, such as in an amount of up to about 2% by weight. A suitable silica comprises fumed silica such as those available from Degussa under their mark Aerosil and a suitable clay is often a hectorite or bentonite such as that available from Rheos under their mark Bentone. In copending PCT application no PCT/EP 01/00186, cream compositions are described which contain thickening polymers. The compositions of the instant invention can be obtained without the incorporation of and are preferably free from such thickening polymers.
Other Constituents
Optional ingredients in compositions of this invention can include deodorants, for example at a concentration of up to about 10% w/w. Suitable deodorant actives can comprise deodorant effective concentrations of antiperspirant metal salts, deoperfumes, and/or microbicides, including particularly bactericides, such as chlorinated aromatics, including biguanide derivatives, of which materials known as triclosan (Irgasan DP300(trademark)), chlorhexidine and Tricloban(trademark), warrant specific mention. A yet another class comprises biguanide salts such as available under the trade mark Cosmosil(trademark).
A yet further class of antimicrobial which can advantageously be employed herein comprises transition metal chelators, such as amino acids or salts thereof, which chelators have affinity for iron (III), and preferably a binding constant for iron (III) of greater than 1010, or, for optimum performance, greater than 1026. The xe2x80x98iron (III) binding constantxe2x80x99 referred to above is the absolute stability constant for the chelator-iron (III) complex. One especially preferred chelator is DTPA (diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid) and salts thereof. Such antimicrobials suppress microbial regrowth. A convenient amount is from 0.35 to 2% by weight.
In practice, an optional though highly desirable component comprises a wash-off aid, preferably at a concentration of from at least 0.2% to 10% by weight and particularly from 0.5% to 5% by weight of the formulation. It assists the removal of the formulation from the skin to control build-up on the skin. The wash-off aid is and particularly at least 1%, such as up to 5% w/w of the formulation. Expressed in alternative fashion, the wash-off aid is desirably present in a weight ratio to the water-immiscible oil of from 1:10 to !:100, and especially from 1:5 to 1:40 w/w. The wash off aid is commonly a non-ionic surfactant, often having an HLB value of from about 6 to about 15, and especially is a polyalkylene oxide (eg PEO or PEO/PPO) ether or ester derivative of a fatty alcohol or acid, possibly including an intermediary polyhydric alcohol residue, eg from glycerol. Examples include seteth-15, steareth-25 and ceteareth-20.
Other optional ingredients can be incorporated to the extent that they are miscible with the carrier fluids. They include skin benefit agents such as glycerol, and allantoin or lipids, for example in an amount of up to 5%; oil-soluble colorants; skin cooling agents such as menthol and menthol derivatives, often in an amount of up to 2%, all of these percentages being by weight of the formulation. A commonly employed and highly desired ingredient is a perfume, which is normally present at a concentration of from 0 to 4% and in many formulations from 0.25 to 2% by weight thereof.
The formulations described herein can be produced by any method that has been described previously for preparing an anhydrous soft solid formulation in which a particulate antiperspirant active is suspended in a water-immiscible oil that is structured into a solid mass by incorporation of a wax or mixture of waxes.
In general, the preparative process comprises introducing the wax or mixture of waxes into the water-immiscible oil or blend of oils and both heating and agitating the resultant mass until the waxes dissolve in the oil forming an homogenous blend. The waxes can be pre-melted if desired. The oil/wax mass is preferably heated to above the melting point of the wax having the highest melting point. In many instances, this is a temperature in the region of from 75 or 80xc2x0 C. to 90xc2x0 C.
In a separate step, the antiperspirant actives are introduced into the formulation. Although this can be before the mass of oil and wax is heated, it occurs preferably after the mass has been homogenised, and in many instances can occur after the mass has cooled somewhat. A temperature range of below 70xc2x0 C. has been recommended, but a temperature of over 70xc2x0 C. is often acceptable. The further ingredients of the formulation are introduced at a time of convenience to the producer. Thus, for example, it can be particularly convenient to introduce particulate materials together with the antiperspirant active, and wash-off aids into the oil together with the wax. Any temperature sensitive ingredients, of which perfume can be one, are most preferably added last and at the lowest temperature.
When the formulation has been produced in a fluid form, it is then packaged. This is the commonly achieved by introducing the fluid material into a dispensing container, at a temperature which is a little higher than the normal setting temperature of the formulation, such as from 5 to 10xc2x0 C. above, which is thereafter cooled or allowed to cool to below the solidification temperature. The setting temperature is commonly is at least about 50xc2x0 C. for wax-structured formulations. In order to encourage the formulation to adopt a soft solid form rather than a firm solid form, it is possible to continue subjecting the formulation to high shear mixing during cooling at or through the temperature at which the formulation would normally solidify, i.e. in the absence of shearing and which had previously been determined. Alternatively, fluidity can be attained by injecting the composition under pressure into the dispenser.
The formulations herein are capable of being dispensed using soft solid dispensers such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,356, U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,622, U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,133, or U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,483. The dispenser commonly contains from 10 to 100 g formulation. The invention formulations can be applied to skin in the conventional manner by extruding a desired amount of formulation on to the contact surface of the head of the dispensing container, normally through one or more apertures in the head, and thereafter wiping the head across the surface of the skin, and particularly in the axilla. Having given a detailed description of and preferences for the invention above, certain embodiments thereof will now be described more fully by way of example.
The ingredients employed in the Examples were as follows: